‘Gaine joined the Bills last offseason after serving as a front-office executive with the Texans from 2014 to 2016 as director of pro personnel and then director of player personnel. He was the right-hand man for Rick Smith, who has taken a leave as Texans GM to be with his wife, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.’

‘The fifth-round pick adds to the Bills’ haul in the 2018 draft. They own two first-round picks and two second-round picks. They also owned two third-rounders before trading one to the Panthers in the Kelvin Benjamin trade.’

‘In his book, “Son of Bum,” on which I collaborated with him, he went into considerable detail about the events leading up to that wild-card playoff game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. He talked about how late team owner Ralph Wilson ordered, in a phone call to late General Manager John Butler, that Rob Johnson replace Doug Flutie as the starting quarterback after Johnson’s impressive performance in the meaningless ’99 season-finale against Indianapolis.’

‘The Bills are lucky point differential didn’t come into play, which is farther down on the list of tiebreakers. The Bills’ minus-57 point differential is the worst of any playoff team since 2011, and the second-worst ever among playoff teams with nine or more wins.’

‘Miller, 36, stunned, wearing a Bills cap and Tyrod Taylor jersey, “went out and ran around the kitchen, screaming and yelling,” until he dropped to his knees in utter euphoria, then collapsed in a chair and started weeping. When his toddler daughter Harper wandered over, he gathered her up. Ashley, a Cazenovia native, captured a video of the moment. You hear her say, laughing: “You did not cry this hard when we had our daughter.”‘

‘But admit it, nothing has ever made you jump up and down and scream and dance and high-five and make a total fool of yourself for so long and so thunderous as when Tyler Boyd crossed that Raven goal line.’

‘Sunday’s wild card playoff game with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Channel 4 will be the first postseason game measured here since meters came to Buffalo in the year 2000. It figures to get a rating in the 50s, which is what Super Bowls have been getting here since meters came to Western New York.’

‘The cheapest round-trip day combination out of regional airports (according to a smattering of tried-and-true flight sites like Kayak.com and Expedia.com) appears to be Friday, Jan. 5, through Tuesday, Jan. 9. Prices for these dates out of Rochester were floating around $550 to $600 with Delta Airlines and American Airlines late Tuesday afternoon.’

‘Sure, it will be far warmer than Western New York’s single-digit forecast and it’s not like the Bills will be playing another Snowmageddon game like their epic win over the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 10.’

‘”To have support from a completely different city and a fan base that’s not even associated with us, and also a team that we did beat this year, too,” Dalton said. “I think it’s pretty crazy the support we’ve gotten from it.”‘

‘I think it’s a bad sign for the Bills that they have all these double-digit losses. You know? And what happens if they’re down 20-10? I haven’t seen a receiver on their team that is above average. Kelvin Benjamin’s probably the closest, but he looks like he’s got like 17 injuries.’

‘By signing Green, the Bills now have some insurance in the event that starting running back LeSean McCoy can’t suit up this weekend. McCoy left the Bills’ regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins with an ankle injury and did not return. He is likely a game-time-decision for the Bills, but Sean McDermott said a Monday that McCoy “has a chance.”‘

‘As of this writing, the cheapest Bills-Jaguars tickets on Stubhub are going for $270. That’s for a standing-room-only ticket. Tickets in the upper deck start in the $290-$300 range. If you want to sit in the 100s or 200s, tickets are going to cost at least $400 with many priced at over $500.’

‘”Brian’s a very bright guy, works very hard,” O’Brien told the Houston Chronicle. “Cares about this league, cares about football, has a great knowledge of both pro and college side of things, great family guy. I hold him in high regard.”‘

‘Everything seems to have worked out for both sides, though. Dareus has contributed to one of the league’s best defenses and gets to play in the postseason. The Bills found a way to sneak in as well, despite a ton of roster turnover under first-year head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane. Despite how things ended for Dareus in Buffalo, he’s happy to see his former teammates end the drought.’

‘Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as that, because questions persisted. Plus, Marrone isn’t alone. There are coaches on his staff as well as players on the roster who have histories in Buffalo. For Marrone, though, the history is more complicated. This isn’t just a team he used to coach. At the end of his second season with the Bills, Marrone decided to exercise an out clause in his contract. He voluntarily gave up the job and didn’t land a head-coaching gig until 2017.’

‘Jacksonville won the AFC South with a 10-6 record, but they enter the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. The Jaguars allowed 44 points to Jimmy Garoppolo’s 49ers and were defeated in the regular season finale by the Tennessee Titans. This isn’t a team entering the playoffs on a hot streak.’

‘It’s been pretty easy for me to put my fandom aside. I picked this team to go 4-12 this year. I don’t think any fan would do that. But I do remember what it was like sitting in those stands, but I also know it runs much deeper than that and I feel that one select type of fan deserves a shout.’

‘First, that if this team had finished with the worst record of any Bills team this century – rather than tied for the best, at 9-7 – few would have been surprised. Yet Buffalo’s first-year duo of head coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane had insisted all summer long, and well into the season, that despite getting rid of several key performers and recent face-of-the-franchise high draft picks – such as receiver Sammy Watkins, cornerback Ronald Darby and, in October, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus – they had no intention of tanking for a high 2018 draft pick. No matter how convinced fans and media had become.’

‘If LeSean McCoy isn’t able to go on Sunday, we could likely see Aaron Green activated to the active roster and dressed for the game. With Travaris Cadet on injured reserve, just Marcus Murphy and Mike Tolbert remain at running back.’

‘Gaine had interviewed with the Bills for their GM job last offseason, which eventually went to Brandon Beane. He had also interviewed with the Eagles, Bears, Jets, and 49ers for GM openings in the past. Gaine has nineteen years of personnel experience in the NFL.’

‘While air travel to Jacksonville is preferred, many flights, especially return flights to Buffalo on Sunday night after the game, are already sold out. There are still seats available to get to Florida but prices have shot up. AAA Travel Manager Angela Wawrzynek found some round-trip flights to areas with access to the stadium were nearly $1,000 as of noontime Tuesday January 2nd.’

‘“They’re very talented. Obviously, we had Marcell [Dareus] here. Malik [Jackson] was in Denver with me for one year and we played him last year when I was in Denver so I know they’re a very talented defense. They all run and they can put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.”‘

‘“The remarkable thing about the Bills is remember when we thought they were tanking,” said Battista. “That wasn’t long ago. They were getting rid of their best players. They were angry and annoyed at that suggestion that they would just toss the season away. They got rid of good players, but here they are.”‘

‘“I loved what we saw on Sunday, which is true of our entire team. You see 63 guys prepare all season long. I think that was on display against the Dolphins when Murphy stepped up and Mike Tolbert did as well,” said head coach Sean McDermott. “Our coaches do a great job of preparing not only our guys who are starters, but those who have to come in after that.”‘